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Knowing early Alzheimer’s disease signs can help coping

Alzheimer's signs to look out for

Lost keys are almost a rite of passage as you age, but could it be a sign of something even scarier?

Knowing early Alzheimer’s disease signs can help coping

Alzheimer's signs to look out for

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Updated: 6:18 PM EDT Jun 6, 2013

BOSTON —

Lost keys are almost a rite of passage as you age, but could it be a sign of something even scarier?

“We all worry about this as we get older,” said Dr. Robert Green, a neurologist and medical geneticist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, who said detecting Alzheimer's disease early can help.

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“Knowledge is a powerful thing,” said Green, “because instead of failing at your job or running into problems and not even knowing why you're having problems, there is a process you can plan and think through what's going to happen and what steps you can take to keep yourself as robustly intellectually alive and as independent as possible.”

But before you self-diagnose, memory loss is just one of the telltale signs you should pay attention to.

“In the very early stages, it can be difficult to know if someone is just having the kinds of memory problems we all have as aging, but as the disease progresses over six months, eight months, 10 months, it should become clear,” said Green.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, signs to watch for include:

· Memory loss that disrupts daily life

· Trouble making and following plans or working with numbers, like following a familiar recipe or keeping track of bills

If you suspect you or a loved one has Alzheimer's disease, Green suggested seeing a neurologist or geriatrician familiar with it. But don't wait for symptoms to be proactive.

“In general, if people keep healthy, if they do good things for their heart, they're also doing good things for their brain,” said Dr. Robert Stern, the director of the clinical core of the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center.

One key habit is exercise.

“Lots of evidence that exercise in midlife and even in late life is protecting the brain,” said Dr. Reisa Sperling, director of the Center for Alzheimer's Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Sperling also suggested staying as socially and mentally active as possible by “(going) out in your community, take classes, be active.”

A Mediterranean diet may also be brain-protective.

“I don’t think that these things will prevent Alzheimer’s disease, but I think they will make your brain stronger to help it fight off the ravages of this disease,” said Sperling.